So, you get to college, you're a few months in, and you're finally settling in and getting comfortable. But...what do you do now? I asked myself this same question my freshman year.
Once my "new student jitters" began to fade, I started to feel lost at school. I felt as if I was just doing the same thing day in and day out, getting lost in my own routine.
I was at a new school, in a completely new environment with new friends. I wanted to make something of myself, but I just didn't know how. I remember looking up to the upperclassman at longwood. They all seemed so passionate about their school and the clubs they were in, I wanted to be more like them.
After having this realization, I knew I needed to make a change. I needed to step out my comfort zone and push myself to get more involved on campus, so that I could achieve the full-on “college experience” I had always dreamt of.
So, if you couldn’t tell, this week’s post will be all about my experience with how I got more involved on my school's campus and some advice on how to do it.
First, lets start off with my experience…
In all honesty, it took me an ENTIRE semester to actually push myself enough to get involved in something other than my classes at Longwood. As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, my first semester at Longwood wasn’t the easiest for me. Coming from a small school where I was involved in every club, sport, and organization you could think of, Longwood was a huge culture shock for me. I discovered that things weren’t always going to be as simple as they once were and I wasn’t just going to be handed things like I used to be. I realized that if I wanted to be more involved on campus, I was going to have to be the one to make the change.
So, fast forward to January, the second semester of my freshman year. After much contemplation about transferring and moving back home, I made the rash decision to come back to Longwood before classes started and partake in sorority formal recruitment. This was a decision I went back and forth on for a long time, but in the end, it was my last resort to help me to determine if Longwood was where I officially wanted to spend the following 3 years.
The first day I ran home to Kappa Delta!
I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am that I made the decision to go through recruitment. Joining Kappa Delta was the exact push I needed and just the first step for me in getting more involved on campus. Since rushing my sorority, I have pushed myself to obtaining a spot on my sorority’s council board as VP-Member Education, the role of a Junior Marshal, and my major’s honors society, Lambda Pi Eta, where I hold the position of Vice President.
Getting inducted to the Communication Studies honors society via zoom.
So, now that I’ve shared with you my story on getting more involved, here is some advice on how you can do it too and some of the involvement opportunities my school offers.
Working my first event as a Junior Marshal.
How YOU can get involved:
Step out of your comfort zone-The first and the hardest step. Though you might feel comfortable just sitting in your dorm room, nothing will change if you don't make a change. Just put yourself out there, I promise you won't regret it ;)
Educate yourself- Attend involvement fairs, talk to upperclassman, basically just do what you can do learn more about what all your university has to offer.
Find something YOU will enjoy- When it comes to joining a club on campus, it really is all about you. If you're looking for something to commit to for the next 4 years, you want it to be something you enjoy. Find something you're passionate about and roll with it, you never know what you could find!
What Longwood has to offer:
I honestly wouldn't know where to start with this one. Longwood offers a wide variety of clubs and organizations you can join. From the outdoors club to the anime club to the chess club, you're bound to find something that suits you! Click here to check out and learn more about all of Longwood's clubs and organizations.
Interested in learning even more? Click here to see some clubs and organzations Longwood has that you may have not known about or here to find out 6 important ways to get involved on your college campus.
I hope this has helped! Also, as I've said before, college is hard. Be easy on yourself and remember that it just takes time. Stay tuned for my next post where I will be talking about staying on top of your school work and sharing some tips on how to keep your grades up!
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